At the annual BBQ Fest on the Neuse, thousands of people strolled the streets of downtown Kinston lined with almost two hundred vendors from all over. After a night storm interrupted the festivities, throngs of people returned for their first taste of the staple eastern North Carolina is known for, BBQ. As is tradition with the BBQ Fest on the Neuse, Kinston Mayor Dontario Hardy gave ceremonial keys to the city to worthy recipients on the Herritage Street stage. The recipients were: Robert L. Brown, Jan Parson, Anna Bell Car, and Joe Hargitt.